Star Wars: The Iron Knight
by Xander Floyd
Summary: A small droid company makes a revolutionary droid that will change the galaxy as we know it... just not in the ways they were expecting. Rated T for violence, some language - Star Wars-style and otherwise -, and some innuendo. Lots of OCs.
1. Chapter 1

STAR WARS: THE IRON KNIGHT

CHAPTER ONE: THE PROTOTYPE

* * *

Planet: Den'sohn, Mid Rim Territories

Star-Date: 30:9 (5 BBY)

* * *

 _I swear, the people I deal with in this job almost aren't worth the pay!_ droid engineer Jein Jubb thought angrily to himself as he walked down a long hallway to his lab. A portly Sullustan standing at a modest height, he worked for a company on Den'sohn called – uncreatively, he added – Den'sohni Mechanicals.

Like it was the only droid company on the planet; Den'sohn was home to numerous droid factories, an oddity in galactic economics as most planets were owned by a _single_ company. However, a minor stipulation in Den'sohn's constitution said…

Well, actually, Jein couldn't remember exactly what it said, all he knew what that it allowed multiple companies to plant their roots there.

What particularly frustrated him, though, was the current project he was assigned to. A labor droid to end all labor, a cure-all to all construction-based woes… if only his boss would tell him what powered the damned thing.

It was a piece of fantastic work, he had to admit; encased in a near-indestructible phrik shell, it was as big as a small human child, had many compartments for tools, and a pair of repuslorlifts built into the feet that worked in both atmosphere and zero-g. It almost reminded him of the old holovids of the superhero droids that flew into burning buildings and saved people from them.

Almost.

He had to question the droid's design, however; he understood that the lead designer's son had died recently, but did he have to model the damned _droid_ after the fallen child? Without a proper HRD – Human Replica Droid – technology available, Jein and the team had to settle for a more appealing LED faceplate that would simulate a simple human expression. His human coworkers found it cute, for some odd reason; all it was were two blue-green LED lights arranged as eyes that could change its resolution to mimic facial expressions.

He stopped when he heard speaking on the other side of a blast door – Sullustans are good at that kind of thing. He pressed his large ear to the door out of curiosity; this is what he heard:

"So… you sure about this?"

"Power ratings are off the charts, Dieck; it's enough to power the LCU, if not more."

"But Calman, we got some strange readings off of it. Almost as if it were… alive."

"Don't be ridiculous, Dieck, it's a rock! It couldn't _possibly_ be alive!"

"But we got it from Oran, Calman; our techs reported that they almost got mauled by droids there, with crystals fused to their chest cavities…"

"Please, there's no need to worry, Dieck; I'll have Jein rewire the LCU so that it doesn't go berserk. The guy's a genius at that. By the way, I should probably check on the prototype. Catch you later, Dieck!"

Realizing that Calman was coming out, Jein quickly darted back down the hall, then acted like he was just approaching the doorway just as he exited.

Calman, a blond-haired human male with a bright expression, beamed when he saw the Sullustan. "Ah, Jein! I was just talking about you! Headed off to the lab?"

Jein swallowed before replying. "Yeah, Calman. Gonna check the servos before that test drive tomorrow."

"Oh, good, I'll go with you!" Calman smiled as he almost talked Jein's ear off about his day, including his prospects with an attractive Twi'lek secretary.

"Uh, Calman, sorry to interrupt," Jein said, cutting off Calman in the middle of his story, "but I had a question about the prototype."

"Of course! What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, it's regarding the power source… I don't think our current processors can handle such a design."

"Ah, don't worry about that, Jein! I'll take care of that tomorrow before the test drive."

"Oh… okay." Jein didn't say anything else until they got to the lab.

Calman whooped as he saw the completed prototype. "That's gonna knock the socks off of CG when they see it!"

 _Yeah,_ Jein thought to himself. _Probably save our company from being bought out, too_. "Sure thing, Calman. Let me check the servos, then we'll call it a night."

"Right-o! I'll ask Lanna on our way out to join us."

Jein sighed. "Yes, that secretary you were talking about can come, too."

* * *

"Hey, Lanna! How about dinner with-" Calman started before a blaster bolt stopped him cold. Jein watched as his co-worker's body fell messily to the floor, while noticing Lanna's blaster-charred body slumped in her chair. He barely managed to avoid the same fate himself as he ducked around the corner and sprinted as fast as he could back down the hall.

 _LysoTech!_ He thought as a trio of armed thugs passed him. He had taken cover in a datalab, watching through the glass as the thugs cautiously walked through the hallway, gunning down Dieck as he rounded the corner.

They had to be after the LCU, Jein thought. The one downside of having so many companies planet-side was that they didn't always get along. Cybot Galactic was just threating a hostile takeover of the company mere days before, with the LCU being the possible salvation. LysoTech was Den'sohni's primary rival, making labor droids and the like that, while not terribly successful galactically, were a staple in planetside economics.

They were also massive criminal dicks. Den'sohn could thank the Empire for that.

Jein waited until he couldn't hear the thugs' footsteps anymore, then quietly snuck out of the datalab and made his way to the security closet. He didn't know where security was – probably on break, in which case sackings were in order – but he needed a weapon.

He grabbed an E-11 blaster carbine and a couple of power-packs before venturing out. He heard more thugs coming down and quickly fired a spurt of bolts in their direction, nailing one but missing the others. He ran, firing bolts as he went, until he caught up with the three thugs that had gunned down Calman and Lanna.

Quickly disabling those three, Jein entered the 4-digit code needed to get into the lab and locked the door behind him, turning on the auto-scrambler so that whatever encryption device they brought had to work _that_ much harder.

Turning around after that, he found that he wasn't alone in the lab. A hooded figure stood in front of the LCU, silently gazing at it. Jein raised his carbine, but found it snatched away by an invisible force into the figure's small hands.

"I am not here to hurt you, Jein Jubb," the figure said in a female voice. "But I do need your help removing this droid from the premises."

"Why should I trust you?"

She turned around, revealing that she was a silver-haired Miraluka with a simple leather band around where the eyes would _normally_ be.

"Because, as of right now, I'm your best chance at staying alive."

* * *

Jein stood there, amazed, as the Miraluka opened the lab door and confronted the thugs outside. Grabbing and igniting a green-bladed lightsaber, she quickly scythed them down and motioned for him to follow.

Hauling the LCU over his broad shoulder, Jein complied, allowing the Jedi to take down most of the thugs. He couldn't help but notice a faint glowing in the Jedi's cloth pouch, remembering the conversation between Calman and Dieck.

"This way," the Jedi said, motioning to a back door. Jein followed, realizing that the door led to the side of the building.

"I have a dwelling on the far side of town," the Jedi said, jumping into a four-seat airspeeder. "Hop in."

Jein complied, slinging the precious prototype into the backseat and getting in front. The Jedi took off, allowing Jein to see that more thugs were entering the building.

"So… I thought you guys went extinct?"

The Jedi let out a sad-sounding laugh. "Yes, we have. Those who remain, hide."

Jein smirked. "Well, I'm glad you decided to stop hiding, otherwise I'd be blaster-bait right about now. Do I get a name, or does that have to hide, too?"

Another laugh. "It's Jhonda Chames, my friend. Now," she withdrew the glowing object from her pouch, "let's see if we can turn things around for this little one."


	2. Chapter 2

STAR WARS: THE IRON KNIGHT

CHAPTER TWO: ACTIVATED

* * *

The first thing he saw was static. It was strange, having to adapt to his own eyes, but then again he had been installed into a new body. Maybe this was what organics meant by being "born," he thought; a sudden awareness of existence that overwhelmed his young mind, adjusting ever so slightly to the sight of two beings – one clearly better-looking than the other – staring at him.

"So that's what they meant by an 'alternative' power source," the less-pretty being said.

"It's a wonder that Den'sohni wasn't caught, Jein," the other said. Turning to him, she said, "Hello there, little one. What is your name?"

 _My name?_ He had almost forgotten he had one. After spending days on some table in strange building, he had forgotten most things about who he was and his home on Oran.

Finally his name came to him. "It's Cymon, ma'am," he replied, surprised by how high-pitched his voice was. Almost like a human child's.

"Wait, you're letting the _droid_ choose its name?" Jein asked the other being. "I thought we were going by its designation."

"Correction, Jein: _you_ were going by his designation. _I,_ on the other hand, know that Cymon is more than a droid." Turning back to him, the woman smiled. "Tell me, Cymon; what do you remember of Oran?"

 _Oran…?_ Cymon shrugged. "Nothing much, ma'am. Just that I was taken here from there."

"I see…" The woman sighed. "Alright… one more question. The Force. Can you feel it?"

 _The Force…_ He remembered. It felt a lot stronger when he was with his cluster – wait, droids can't feel the Force? What was she thinking?

He jerked his head back, surprised by the sudden thought. It was the droid's programming talking, not him; even then he felt the digital tendrils wrapping around his mind. "I… I want out of this thing."

The woman now wore a pained expression on her face. "Really? Is something wrong?

"Yes, ma'am…" He explained what he had felt to the woman. He felt he could trust her, even though his droid programming was screaming otherwise.

 _No, you will listen to_ me! He shouted back at his brain. His brain shouted back, even as he went on explaining the sensation.

"So, wait," Jein cut in. "The LCU's programming is trying to overwrite the Shard?" He slumped his shoulders. "By the Force… The media's going to have a field day with this! Our project _killed_ a sentient being!"

"Not quite, Jein," the woman said, surprising both of them. "Cymon's case had been seen in many Iron Knights that I have encountered. I'm afraid that if he is not able to quell the voices in his mind… He _will_ succumb."

Despair washed over Cymon's heart, even as his brain continued to agrue against the logic of trusting these beings. _No, I don't wanna hear what you have to say, these people_ saved _me, you bolt-brain!_

"So what can I do, ma'am?"

She smiled. "My master had me assist in the training of several Knights. All of them had the same problem you did, and we managed to train all of them."

Cymon's brain debated the idea of letting this woman tamper with his programming, but his heart decided to ignore this warning. "Okay, ma'am. Let's do it."

Another smile. "Very well. Just one more thing."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Just call me Jhonda."

* * *

CEO's Office, LysoTech HQ

* * *

"Sir, we've completed the takeover of Den'sohni Mechanicals," a Nikto thug said to the large being in the office via holo-transmission.

This was Tolm, CEO of LysoTech. He looked rather comical in his business suit, being a rather bulky Feeorin with mottled grey skin and tendrils on the back of his head, but his bulging arms made him a force to be reckoned with.

It didn't help that Feeorins were notorious for their short tempers. Oh no, that _totally_ wasn't an issue, thought most of the galaxy with a hefty sigh.

"Did you get the prototype?" Tolm asked, tapping his long fingernails on the table.

"Uh… Well, we tried to, but-"

"But _what?_ " Tolm burst angrily. " _Where is my prototype?"_

The thug stuttered before saying, "There were reports of a pair of individuals flying off with it in the back of the building. That's all we know."

Tolm paused, then turned his back to the holo-transmitter, looking out the window with a furrowed brow. Then, letting out a bestial roar, he pulled out a blaster and shot the transmitter to atoms.

 _I did not come all this way to be thwarted by some karking techie!_ He thought as he switched the transmitter with a replacement.

This happened a lot.

* * *

"Master Chames… Maybe you should just let me purge the LCU's programming."

"No! We almost have it!" Jhonda said, her forehead creased.

Over the course of half a day, Cymon had attempted – without success – to combine the programming of his droid body with his own mind. Like Jein, he was starting to have his doubts.

"I'm sorry, but no matter how advanced a Shard is, it just can't compete with the droid brain we put in. We got the parts for it from Industrial Automaton's suppliers, and those guys made the R2 units. It's going to be stubborn, no matter how much meditation you put into it."

 _You should believe that,_ Cymon's droid brain said to him. _Droids can't be Jedi; they can only be workers. Second-class citizens._

 _No… You're wrong! I'm not a droid; I_ can _be a Jedi!_

He felt a surge of energy go from his chest cavity - his Shard body – to the droid brain. Just like that, the brain shut off – and with a heavy clanging of phrik, so did Cymon.

He rebooted several hours later, seeing Jhonda and Jein looking down at him. From the corner of his mind he heard the droid brain squeak, _You win._

"Cymon…?" Jhonda asked. "What happened?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he said to his body, _I know that you're just trying to keep me safe, but we can't be fighting like this! We have to work together!_

He heard a whirring coming from the corner of his mind – his processor – then came the words, _Understood, Master Cymon. Commencing cognitive integration._

 _Wait, what?_ Those were the last thoughts he had before feeling his consciousness slip again. Though he was no longer aware of the world outside his photoreceptors, he _was_ aware of a strange feeling in his mind.

He couldn't quite describe it… it was like a rearranging of his mind, taking elements from the droid and integrating it into his own mind.

Another reboot ensued, and this time the two organic beings looked even more worried.

"We worked something out," Cymon said, his eyes turning bright yellow.

"Well, at least the brain is still _working_ ," Jein said with a sigh.

Cymon's eyes then turned into white question marks. "Why do you say that?"

"We programmed the brain to reflect what it's feeling through the eyes, changing shape and color according to what its thinking."

His eyes returned to normal. "Oh."

* * *

 **Story Edits:**

 **\- Changed the airspeeder mentioned in Chapter 1. The model I chose had a continuity error in it and had to be fixed.**


	3. Chapter 3

STAR WARS: THE IRON KNIGHT

CHAPTER THREE: TRACK THE KNIGHT

* * *

Jhonda's Hideaway, Night 1

* * *

Droids don't have dreams. Cymon learned that after his first night deactivating his droid body to recharge, but his mind was still free to wander as Jein and Jhonda slept and rested nearby, respectively. _Why am I here?_ He found himself thinking, his consciousness aware of the blinking lights on the inside of the droid's chassis. _Why was this droid created for me? Is it really as simple as… commercial marketing?_

No, he thought. There had to be something more. He reactivated his body, noticing the near-silent whirring as he did, and trekked out of the cave. Scanning the horizon, he found what he was looking for: the gutted remains of Den'sohni Mechanicals.

His answers were there. He knew it. By the time a ripple in the Force had alerted Jhonda, Cymon was already at Den'sohni's doorstep.

* * *

His joints made surprisingly little noise as he snuck into the building, never alerting the LysoTech thugs to his presence until he was practically in front of them. Didn't help that they were preoccupied with a game of mental holo-chess at the time.

Creeping to the side, Cymon grabbed a discarded wrench and snuck up to the thugs, knocking one down with a sweep to the legs, then knocking him out followed by the other thugs. Looking down at their bloody heads, Cymon realized that his droid body was stronger than he had anticipated, as the thugs had stopped breathing.

They were dead.

He dropped the wrench. His mind tried to wrap around the concept of a being expiring, but he couldn't. He knew it could happen – though not really in the same way as a Shard – but he didn't expect it to be so… easy.

Did this make him a bad person?

Shaking his head, he thought, _I'll sort that out later._ He then walked past the thugs' dead bodies and into the building proper. Looking up, he found a large map showing the first floor of the building, where he was created.

He scanned it until he found the "prototyping bay" and followed the map all the way there, avoiding the next set of thugs milling about entirely.

Seeing that the prototyping bay had a spot where the LCU could fit, Cymon began investigating. He pawed through the various bins of loose parts, trying to find anything that could tell him what he was intended for.

He found nothing; he slammed the last bin back into place and began to pout. _Why would they make this body for me? Is it really to make money? Give me a sign, darn it!_

 _Command registered,_ his droid brain suddenly said. _Commencing scan._

His vision quickly changed into a grid, showing different colors to indicate items of interest. One, marked "extremely important" with its bright orange color, was stashed behind the wall.

Ripping the panel down, Cymon found a small disc-shaped object propped up in a little alcove. A holodisk; it was accompanied by a tiny holo-projector and a datapad with the words, "Play me" written on it.

Confused, Cymon quickly worked out how to play the hologram, then watched the brown-haired human's image spring to life.

"Cymon…" The man said. "If you are watching this, then it's likely the transplant was a success. If you're able to hold this, then… well, it was a total success."

"But if you're finding this on your own, then it's likely I'm dead, and Den'sohni is in ruins. If so, then I feel you should know who is responsible."

"Tolm, CEO of LysoTech. His kind have always been aggressive… We should've seen it coming as a Feeorin, to be honest."

"I suppose you want answers. Well, I can't give you all the details, but… I created this droid partly as an expression, and partly as a favor to someone. I can't say who, but let's just say that… he's got an interest in revolution, and thinks that you'll be the deciding factor in that."

"Hell if I'm supposed to know, though; I'm just the designer. I had hoped I would've gotten the chance to see you active, but… Well, considering the circumstances, that's not gonna happen."

"Cymon… Whatever this screwed-up galaxy throws at you, remember that your fate is your _own_ ; don't let anyone set it for you. You have the mind; now you have the body."

He turned away, but turned back and said, "Oh, and if you see a woman named Jhonda Chames… trust her. She's there to help."

 _Awfully specific,_ Cymon thought as the hologram powered down. He looked up and nearly jumped out of his chassis, for there was a shadow standing over him, arms crossed.

"So… you couldn't stay away."

"I'm sorry, Jhonda," Cymon said to the Jedi. "I had to know."

The Miraluka smiled. "If you had but asked I would've told you everything that you wanted to know."

"So you had my body built."

She stopped smiling, and looked away. "No… my Master did. Before he… passed on."

Cymon's eyes turned blue, and he looked down. "I'm sorry, Jhonda… I didn't mean to make you sad…"

She knelt down to be at eye level with him. "I'm not sad, Cymon. He lives on through the Force. I see him every day."

Then she smiled. "Come now; let's leave this depressing place."

* * *

LysoTech HQ, CEO's office. The next morning.

* * *

"Sir…?" The Nikto thug was more hesitant this time as he spoke to Tolm. The bulky Feeorin had his back turned when the Nikto said, "Dunnar and Kreen are dead; heads bashed completely in. No organic could've done it, sir. We're scouting the general area now."

His apologetic tone didn't save the projector from being blasted. Not this time.


End file.
